Blueberries and blackberries in containers

Check the pH on the blueberries, other than that, they are easy.

Yes - I’m growing 8 blueberry bushes in 15 gallon poly plant nursery containers and will move them into 25 gal containers this winter. Works well and they nice aesthetic look to them. I’m following guidelines by the AgCenter for container grown blueberries but not sure it’s on their website. The article written by Dan Gill, consumer horticulturist (retired), LSU AgCenter, is based on research done at the Hammond Horticultural Research Station.

I’m also growing blackberries but those are in ground. I’m starting to harvest some Ark Prime Freedom now, but the Apraho, Natchez and Ouachita varieties are still a 3 or so weeks away from harvest.

Here is the relevant info from Dan Gill’s article on container growing blueberries in quotes and I’m following this advice. If I can find the full article on the internet I’ll come back and post a link to it. Just a note, the only difficult item to find in small quantity is the micronutrient trace element mix. But I found a Pumpkin grower in Oregon that re-sold smaller smaller bags, like 5 lbs?, micro-nutrient blend from 50 lbs, bags, but will last a long time. Might have been an eBay purchase -I forget - it’s been a few years.

“....Plant the blueberry bushes individually in 15 gallon containers. Make sure the containers have several drainage holes to allow excess water to drain when you water. Fill the containers with a growing mix made up of one-half peat moss and one-half finely ground pine bark mulch (you may find this in bags labeled “soil conditioner”). It will be necessary to add fertilizer to provide the nutrients needed by the bushes. Per 15 gallon container, add and blend well with the peat-bark mix eight ounces of Osmocote 17-7-12 or 16-4-8 (or anything similar), two ounces of dolomitic lime and one ounce of trace elements (Micromax or other trace element fertilizers would be suitable, follow label directions). Each March, fertilize your container blueberry plants with eight ounces of a slow release fertilizer such as Osmocote.

The plants in the research study that did best received about six hours of sun with some shade in the afternoon. Locate your container blueberries on the east or southeast side of a house or other structure to provide this type of light. Avoid shady areas. It would be better to provide the plants more sun than more shade.

Water is important and must be applied regularly, especially in the heat of summer. Larger containers dry out slower than smaller ones, but even a 15 gallon container may need to be watered two or three times a week. The peat-bark mix will dry out faster than regular potting soil, so check it frequently and water as needed.

Blueberry bushes are quite hardy and there is no need to protect the plants during the winter. Moving a 15 gallon container inside during freezes would not be my idea of fun.

You can expect to average around five to seven pints of fresh, sweet blueberries per plant each summer. If birds are a problem, cover the plants with bird netting. There are few insect or disease problems you are likely to encounter. Blueberries are remarkably carefree for the fruit they provide.

In about four years the plants will outgrow the 15 gallon containers, and the vigor and productivity of the bushes will decline. They should be transplanted into 25 gallon containers when that occurs. This is best done between November and February. Place about five gallons of finely ground pine bark mulch in the bottom of the container. Next, repot the bush, filling in around it with a blended mix of seventy-five percent finely ground pine bark and twenty-five percent peat moss to which four ounces of Osmocote 17-7-12 (or anything similar), one ounce of dolomitic lime and one-half ounce of trace elements has been added. Care for the repotted blueberry bushes as you have in previous years.“

This was very helpful. Thank you for all the responses!